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Not The Wild, Wild West

BERLIN – A Texas man was
arrested on a weapons charge last week after getting pulled over for speeding
on a south Worcester County highway.

Around 9:30 a.m. last
Thursday, a Maryland State Police trooper on routine patrol pulled over a
Hyundai Sonata on Route 13 near Pocomoke for speeding. When the trooper
approached the vehicle, the driver, identified as James Duncan Anderson, 52, of
Houston, Texas, advised the officer he had a handgun strapped to his ankle.

Anderson told the trooper
he had a permit from Texas to carry the gun, but the trooper advised the
suspect the permit was not valid in Maryland. Anderson was subsequently
arrested and charged with wearing a concealed firearm.

Jail Time For NYE
Stabber

SNOW HILL – A Berlin man
arrested on assault charges on New Year’s Eve after stabbing one man and
hitting a juvenile over the head with a beer bottle entered an Alford plea to
second-degree assault last week in Circuit Court and was sentenced to three
years in jail, most of which was then suspended.

Shortly before 9 p.m. on
Jan. 1, Maryland State Police troopers responded to the Royal Farms store on
Route 50 in West Ocean City for a reported stabbing. The investigation revealed
the reported attack occurred at a nearby residence on Old Bridge Rd. Troopers
identified the victims in the attack as Max Emiliano Rolon, 18, and Joseph
Donald Nalborczyk, 19, both of Ocean Pines, along with a 17-year-old juvenile
from Pennsville, N.J.

The investigation
revealed Rolon had been stabbed in the throat and upper left arm, while the
17-year-old juvenile had been hit over the head with a beer bottle. The victims
identified Nathaniel Irving Schneider, 20, of Berlin, as the assailant who
stabbed Rolon and struck the juvenile with the beer bottle. Meanwhile,
Nalborczyk had also been punched during the altercation by a different
individual but declined to press charges in regards to his alleged assault.

Both Rolon and the
juvenile were transported to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin where they
were treated and released. The Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI)
responded to the scene and charged Schneider with two counts each of first- and
second-degree assault.

Last week in Circuit
Court, Schneider entered an Alford plea to second-degree assault. In an Alford
plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges the state has enough
evidence to prosecute the case. Schneider was sentenced to three years in jail,
all but six months of which was then suspended. He was also placed on probation
for three years.

No Jail For Indecent
Exposer

OCEAN CITY – An Ocean
City man arrested on indecent exposure charges last November after allegedly
exposing himself to a juvenile girl on the Boardwalk was sentenced this week to
a year in jail, which was then suspended in favor of probation and a fine.

Around 7:30 p.m. on Nov.
5, 2009, Ocean City police officers responded to the area of 4th
Street and the Boardwalk in reference to a report of an indecent exposure that
had already occurred. The officers met with a complainant who told police a
white male had exposed himself to his juvenile daughter earlier that morning.

The 14-year-old juvenile
victim provided police with information regarding the incident and was able to
provide a description of the male suspect. Based on proactive police
initiatives and the description provided by the victim, the officers were able
to develop a suspect, later identified as William Glenn Stauffer, 44, of Ocean
City. Stauffer has an extensive record of run-ins with local law enforcement
officers over the years.

Ocean City police
located and arrested Stauffer and charged him with indecent exposure. In March,
Stauffer pleaded not guilty, but was found not guilty by the court and a
pre-sentence investigation was ordered. Back in court on Tuesday, Stauffer was
sentenced to one year in jail, which was then suspended. He was placed on
supervised probation for two years and fined $300.

Habitual Burglar
Sentenced

SNOW HILL – A local man
with a penchant for burglary pleaded guilty this week in Circuit Court in two
of his most recent episodes and was sentenced to a combined seven years in
jail, most of which was suspended.

Roger Vincent Welton,
21, of Snow Hill, appeared in Circuit Court on Wednesday to face trial for two
separate incidents dating back to January of this year and September of 2009.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary in the January 2010 incident and
was sentenced to four years in jail with all but one year suspended. For the
September 2009 incident, Welton pleaded guilty to fourth-degree burglary and
was sentenced to three years in jail all of which was suspended. In both cases,
he was placed on two years probation following his release.

Shortly before 1 a.m. on
Jan. 25, Maryland State Police troopers responded to Buck’s Place on Assateague
Rd. at Route 611 for a burglar alarm activation. Upon arrival, the troopers
observed a suspect, later identified as Welton, riding a bicycle in the
immediate area of the crime. The investigation linked Welton the burglary that
had just been committed at Buck’s Place and he was taken into custody.

In late September,
Welton was arrested after Ocean City police detectives were able to connect him
to three commercial burglaries in the resort as well as the theft of over a
dozen vehicle license plates dating back to 2005. On Oct. 1, 2009, an Ocean
City police detective responded to the pool bar at the Plim Plaza in reference
to a reported burglary. During the on-scene investigation, the detective
obtained a surveillance video showing a suspect, later identified as Welton, at
the scene of the crime. Detectives were able to identify Weldon as the suspect
and secured a search and seizure warrant for his residence.

During the search of
Weldon’s house, evidence was collected and stolen property was recovered
linking Weldon to three reported commercial burglaries in the resort including
two incidents at Plim Plaza and one at the Jolly Roger Amusement Park. In
addition, police also located in Weldon’s residence 13 license plates from
various states and Canada. It was later determined the license plates were
stolen on Assateague back in August 2005. That information was forwarded to
Assateague Island authorities.

During the search of
Weldon’s residence, OCPD detectives recovered roughly $2,000 in stolen items
connected to the burglaries at Plim Plaza and Jolly Rogers. He was charged with
one count of felony second-degree burglary and two counts of misdemeanor
fourth-degree burglary.

In September 2007,
Welton was convicted on theft charges for stealing a woman’s wallet at a local
bar where he worked as a bus boy and was sentenced to 90 days in jail with all
but 30 days suspended. In that case, the victim testified that on Sept. 18,
2007, she was at a local saloon when she noticed that her wallet was missing.
After looking around the restaurant, she notified the manager that she could
not find her wallet. The manager searched the area and questioned several
employees but was unable to find the wallet. The victim testified that she had
$450 in her wallet along with a credit card and other various items.

Officer Chris Snyder
testified that upon arrival, the wallet was still missing but the manager
believed that Welton, who was a bus boy at the restaurant, knew where it was.
After phoning Welton, the manager learned that Welton had found the wallet and
placed it on a counter.

Snyder made several
attempts to call Welton, but Welton refused to speak to him. When Snyder
finally made contact with Welton, the suspect changed his story, claiming he
had put the wallet in his apron and that it had fallen into the dumpster by
accident when he was taking out the trash. The wallet was found in the back,
bottom left corner of the dumpster but was missing $450 and the victim’s credit
card.

Welton testified he had
put the wallet in his apron and had intended on giving it to his manager. He
claimed he forgot about the wallet until he received the phone call later that
night after work. When asked how the wallet could fall from his apron, into the
dumpster and end up in the far back corner, Welton had no explanation.

OC Burglars Convicted

OCEAN CITY – Two of
three men arrested in connection with a January residential break-in in Ocean
City pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary and were both sentenced to three
years in jail, all of which was then suspended but the time they served
awaiting trial.

Frank Allen Dowling, 24,
of Pittsville, and James Anthony Haynes, 24, of Willards, each appeared in
Circuit Court on Tuesday to face several charges related to a break-in in Ocean
City on Jan. 14. Each pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary and the duo was
sentenced to three years in jail with all but the 117 days spent incarcerated
while awaiting trial suspended. A third suspect, Steven Brinson, 28, of
Parsonsburg, was scheduled to appear for trial yesterday, but his case had not
been adjudicated in time to be included in this edition.

Around 9 a.m. on Jan.
14, the OCPD received a call from a private citizen about a possible breaking
and entering in progress at a residence on Peach Tree Rd. The caller told
police it appeared three white males were attempting to break into a house
across the canal from his own residence, likely on Peach Tree Rd. and provided
a description of the suspects.

The caller told police
he observed two of the suspects lift a third suspect into the house through the
ceiling on a screened porch and that the three were then in the residence. OCPD
officers responded to the area and positioned themselves in place to observe
the residence and any suspects in the area fitting the description provided by
the witness.

One OCPD officer
observed the three suspects fleeing the house and running out toward Peach Tree
Rd. in different directions. An OCPD officer with the help of a K-9 was able to
apprehend the first suspect, identified as Haynes. The same officer was then
able to apprehend a second suspect, identified as Brinson. A third suspect,
Dowling, was apprehended a short time later as he walked on Constitutional Ave.
nearby.

The witness was brought
over and identified the three suspects as the men he observed breaking into the
residence on Peach Tree Rd. The witness told police he observed the three
suspects walk around to a screened-in porch area at the back of the house. Two
of the men then lifted the third to the ceiling of the porch, and the suspect
was able to separate the vinyl ceiling to gain access to the attic crawl space
above the porch.

Two of the suspects then
walked around to the side door of the residence with duffel bags and the
suspect who had gained entry let them in. The OCPD officer then went around to
the back of the residence and observed the hole in the ceiling where the
suspect had gained entry to the residence. The officer noticed the rear porch
door standing open, and when he went inside, he noticed dirt and debris on the
dining room table and floor. The officer also noticed the attic access door
directly overhead.

Further inspection
revealed Haynes had gained access to the house through the crawl space and was
able to gain access to the rest of the house by simply pushing the ladder hatch
to the attic down. Haynes then went around to the door to let in Brinson and
Dowling. At that point, the three suspects proceeded to dismantle a 52-inch
Insignia flat screen television and set it on the floor nearby.

The officers also
noticed a 20-inch Magnavox flat screen television sitting on the coffee table
with its cord wrapped around its base. The officers observed a Dell computer
printer unplugged and sitting on a couch. In addition, a closet door was standing
open with a stereo system sitting on the floor next to it. Detectives also
found a green duffel bag containing an X-box gaming system with various games
and power cords.

The duffel bag also
contained 14” bolt cutters and a large crowbar. Detectives were able to connect
the three suspects to the duffel bag and a knapsack found in the room through
various pieces of identification. The value of the items the suspects attempted
to steal is estimated at around $2,000.

Probation For School
Zone Dealer

BERLIN – A Berlin man
arrested in December for selling narcotics in a school zone after a raid on his
residence pleaded guilty last week in Circuit Court to possession with intent
to distribute marijuana and was placed on probation for 18 months.

On Dec. 10, 2009, the
Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Team served a search
and seizure warrant on a residence on West Street in Berlin after an ongoing
investigation. The property owner permitted police to a search of the
residence, which resulted in the discovery of over three pounds of marijuana in
a pillowcase in a hiding spot under the floor in one of the bedrooms.
Detectives also found three electronic scales, an alleged drug-dealing ledger,
plastic bags and a significant amount of cash.

As a result, the
occupant of the room where the drugs and assorted paraphernalia were
discovered, identified as Joseph Tyler Shanahan, 22, of Berlin, was arrested
and charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute
marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana in a school zone
because the residence on West Street is located within the prescribed
1,000-foot perimeter of two Berlin schools, Buckingham Elementary and Worcester
Preparatory.